Marimar episode 52 – The one with the US trip – there and back again

November 11, 2007

Marimar Episode 52 – The one with the US trip, there and back again

Sergio is very angry and takes Arturo with him to his office. He wants to call Angelika at Villa Santibanez, to confront her; he doesn’t know that they’ve left the country for Paris. Antonio gives Sergio an important letter from Kim and he tells Sergio to read it at once.

Sergio opens the letter and voice-over of Kim says: “I’ve decided to do the smart thing in life. I guess you can’t win them all. I’m admitting defeat.”

We see Kim crying as she prepares her things, deciding to leave Manila and Sergio so she can move on wit her life and find her own happiness.

Kim gave Sergio the address where she kept seeing Marimar, which is actually Innocencia’s address.

Innocencia is very excited about their trip. She is all packed and ready and Marimar is helping her do last minute checks in their old home. Both women are scared because they feel that they are not very good English speakers. Marimar tells Innocencia she is better of, having had some formal education but she is totally an ignorant country lass who doesn’t even know how to read properly in her first language.

Fulgoso bids farewell to Fifi calling her, “my ex-honey”.

Fifi asks Fulgoso to stay or at least take her with him to the US. “Fulgoso please don’t leave me, I love you. Isama mo ako sa States, bagay ang beauty for doon!”

Sergio is shocked that Kim knows where Marimar lives. He wants to find out what this means but Arturo reminds him to forget about that and immediately go to the given address if he wants to find his wife that badly.

Innocencia leaves their old house to their neighbors who are very thankful to be able to live there without any rent. Innocencia just made them promise to take good care of the house. She tells the couple that it’s old but she and her mother love the old place very much. It is after all, home. They thank Innocencia again but the young lady tells them she should be the one to thank them for they will be looking after the house for her and her mother. When they ask where she is going, she happily tells them that she and Marimar are going to the USA.

Kim is still in her suite although she has finished packing. She is crying, obviously letting Sergio go is painful and a sad thing for her to do. Her phone rings and she sees that it is Sergio. Having decided to let him go, she ignores his call and doesn’t answer.

Kim talks to Sergio in her mind, “Paalam Sergio. Sana maging masaya ka sa piling ni Marimar. At sana maging masaya na rin ako.”(Oh, I love Kim now, she’s so sublime! Sabagay, she can see how Sergio truly loves Marimar and having known Bella, she can see she is a good person – I wish Kim will find a nice man who will love her and make her happy. She deserves it!)

Sergio is in the car with Arturo driving. He looks quite eager to get to he place, wanting to see his wife whom he’s missed for over a year now. He calls Antonio and asks him to contact Kim who he can’t seem to contact. He wants to find out how she knew about Marimar’s location. Obviously he wants to ask her so many questions, but maybe also to thank her and wish her well.

Marimar and Innocencia board the van as Sergio and Arturo’s jeep stop at the corner store.

Inside the van, the driver asks if they are going straight to the airport. Marimar confirms this telling the driver that her aunt and Cruzita will meet them there.

Sergio gets out of the jeep to talk to a man for directions. Arturo goes out too. As they talk to the man, the van passes by with Marimar and Innocencia inside. The guys and girls were facing at opposite directions and didn’t see each other.

Inside the van, Marimar tells Innocencia, “Kinakabahan ako na natutuwa na kinakabahan, ewan ko ba. Di kaya tayo mahirapan doon?” (I’m nervous and happy and excited and scared all at the same time. Wouldn’t we find it difficult living in a strange country?)

Innocencia is confident. “Siguro sa simula pero magtutulungan tayo para makayanan natin.” (Maybe it will be hard at first but they will help one another to overcome any obstacles.)

Sergio confirms the address, “Number eight Lamayan street, Sta. Ana, Metro Manila.” and is pointed to a certain direction by the man he asked directions from. Arturo and him excited follow his instructions.

Marimar tells Innocencia that she does want to start over again and get a new life. Yet she is sad because she feels that she will be leaving behind almost one half of her life, her old life, behind.

Sergio and Arturo find the house but the doors are all pad-locked and no one seems to be around. They ask some neighbors. A lady tells them that no one by the name of Marimar lives there but describes another lady, Bella who fits Marimar’s exact description including a large brown dog – Sergio and Arturo both exclaim, “Si Fulgoso!” The lady tells them Leonor and her daughter who used to live there moved to live in another place. But the daughter and Bella have just left and rumor has it that they are bound for the airport to go to America.

Sergio and Arturo thank her and rush to the jeep to make it to the airport – hopefully they reach Marimar in time.

Marimar and Innocencia get their luggage and Fulgoso checked in. Esperanza gives Innocencia all their passports and documents.

Marimar asks her aunt if it is really not possible for her to accompany them. Esperanza regrets it but she has a lot to do in their company. She tells Marimar not to worry as their housekeeper in the US already knows they are coming and they are expected. There will be people there who will meet and assist them until they get settled.

Sergio is impatient to get to the airport. He tells Arturo to drive faster.

Esperanza talks to Cruzita and tells her she will miss her. She tells the two young ladies that it is nearly their boarding time. She should go. She reminds them to find their correct gate.

She tells Marimar to pray as they hug and kiss. Both are obviously putting up brave faces and try hard to stop tears from falling.

When Esperanza has left, Marimar sits next to Innocencia.

Sergio wants the car to go much faster, Arturo tries hard to drive at full speed.

Marimar remembers a time when she and Sergio were dining. She asks him how it feels to be on a plane. He tells her about the vibrations. Marimar is afraid she’d get dizzy if she were riding one. Sergio demonstrates what he would do if she felt dizzy. First he will hold her hand tightly and next he will place her head on his shoulders so she wouldn’t feel so dizzy. What a sweet moment! We see Marimar is crying as she remembers how she used to be so in love with Sergio.
It’s their boarding call. Innocencia sees Marimar crying and tells her, “Hangga’t andito pa tayo, kung ano man ang desisyon mo. Susuportahan kita.” (While we are still here, whatever your decision will be, I will support you.)

She stands, ready to leave and declares, “Wala na ang Marimar na tatanga-tanga. Isang Bella Aldama na ang haharap sa kanila.” (Gone is the naive Marimar. In her place is a new Bella Aldama who will face them all.)

Sergio runs inside, he can’t get in fast enough as first he didn’t have any travel documents with him. He was able to convince them to let him in and he goes to the check-in counter looking for a “Marimar Santibanez”. The clerk tells him no one by that name checked in.

He continues to look around but is getting quite frustrated. He was about to come up the escalator but the guards prevent him from going any further. Just a few second earlier, had he looked up, he would have seen Marimar and Innocecia at the top of the escalator stairs.

Sergio is now outside the airport and he is looking frustrated. Arturo tries to come and be with him but he sends his gay friend away. He sits by the pavement – Marimar was almost at his grasp and yet he remains alone.

Sergio finds Antonio is the pub they also frequent. He asks him to contact Kim as he needs to know how she met Marimar, how she knew where his wife lives, etc. Antonio tells him he saw Kim with Marimar on that day in the restaurant where they say Kim’s car parked nearby.

Sergio is upset that Antonio knew and yet kept it a secret from him. “Kaibigan ba kita? Binayaran ka ba niya?” (Are you really my friend or did she pay you?)

Sergio and Antonio push one another passing insults between them. Antonio walks away.

We find Sergio slumped by his jeep. He sits on the floor and has obviously drunk a lot. He cries, truly in pain. He plays with a Swiss army knife in one hand.

It’s been days and in their office, Arturo talks to Antonio and asks him to talk to Sergio. Antonio tells Arturo he can’t as Sergio is still upset with him. Arturo reveals he too has some failings and can’t approach Sergio.

Antonio feels truly sad for his friend. He wants to help him so he asks for another chance and promises that this time, they will not leave him alone hanging. “Tuloy lang ang buhay. Give us a chance. Ngayon pare, wala na talagang iwanan.”

The clock ticks, time passes. It is now four years later.

Sergio is in a meeting with his team and he is upset that their sales have gone lower by 30 per cent compared to previous months. Looks like our hunky racer has kept himself busy managing the business he and Kim with Antonio’s help started. It is apparent that he’d been a slave driver even to his staff as it is lunch time and they are still in the meeting. Atonio walks out of the meeting and Arturo convinces him to have lunch. Arturo is now a staff of the company and a full-fledge gay. Sergio comes out of the meeting, his friends tell him to take a break and go for lunch but he seems serious and tells them he can’t afford to take a break. Both Arturo and Antonio remind him that it’s been four years, “puro trabaho na lang inatupag mo.” and advise him to take a vacation, travel, take a break.

Meanwhile, at the Villa Santibanez, Monica looks at a gold ring given to her by Diego. They appear to have gotten married and continue to call one another, ‘babe’. It also looks like they have the run of the place, being Angelika’s best friend. She calls Perfecta and orders her to prepare some food for her and Diego. Diego, who now talks, adds a request for beer. Monica also complains about how their room wasn’t thoroughly cleaned. Perfecta takes this all with a straight face which quickly turned into a smirk once she was out of their sight. She complains to Nicandro about the two acting as if they own the place. Nicandro assures her that he heard both Angelika and Renato are returning soon.

At the airport, Angelika checks in the immigration. The officer asks her, “Bakasyon lang maam?” whether she’s coming for a vacation, but Angelika answers with certainty, “No, I’m back…for good.” As her passport gets stamped she returns to Manila after four years of living in Paris. The question everyone is asking at this point is, where is Renato? And, why aren’t they together?

Angelika walks past a little girl holding a stuffed toy. The child asks her, “Excuse me, I’m looking for my dog.” Instead of being nice to a little girl, Angelika takes the nasty approach and tells the child she’s seen her dog get smashed, head flying off and now dead. Happy to have scared someone, she walks off as cruel and nasty as ever.

The little girl is Cruzita, now four and she runs to Innocencia crying. The loyal ex-secretary of Sergio, now friend and confidante of Marimar is now as pretty as she once was, no longer sporting that ugly scar Angelika herself had once branded on her left cheeks. She tells Cruzita that her mommy is making sure Fulgoso has arrived safely and is now taking the dog to join them.

Of course our naive country lass is now transformed into someone in high heels, short skirt and unbuttoned blouse (all that education and she still doesn’t know how to button her blouse!) and red, red lipstick. She calls her Tia Esperanza telling her they arrived earlier than expected. Esperanza is glad that they have arrived safely. She tells her niece that all is ready, delicious food and clean rooms for all of them.

Sergio is back at the office, still in a sour mood. Their stocks are held in customs and he’s been pushing for it to be released as soon as possible. He calls Antonio and asks him to ensure it goes through.

Everyone at the Aldama household is excited and ready to greet the balikbayans. Innocencia and Cruzita with Fulgoso arrive first. Innocencia hugs her mother as Leonor exclaims that her daughter looks more beautiful than ever, noting the disappearance of the ugly scar. Then the kind lady stoops down to Cruzita and asks her, “Do you still remember your Lola Leonor?”

She is surprised when Cruzita answered in Tagalog. Innocencia explained that Marimar raised Cruzita to be bi-lingual so she knows how to speak in both English and Tagalog from the start.

Leonor asks where Bella is now that everyone else is here. Another car stops and out comes a woman with straight hair, black shades, red lips, complete make-up and a confident smile. Welcome back Marimar!